lol. I’d like to have McCain have some policy in his speech next week. I doubt it. Its probably going to be POW,POW, IRAN, IRAQ, POW.
I’m proud of Jim Leach for speaking at the DNC. When I was a card carrying republican I voted for him(I used to live in iowa). Unfortunatly McCain doesn’t realize how bad things are.
So if you really want to know why I support Obama go to watch his speech. All of the DNC speeches are available on the internet in HD.

“Looks like it’s going to be a dull speech, I hope it doesn’t go long. It’s bad enough that we have to sit through two windbags tonight ”
if you think it will be dull, and that it’s full of windbaggery then you shouldn’t waste your time… also, whatever will you do next week, when it’s windbaggery 100% of the time?
given all the whining that you do about obama’s superior oratory skills, and you’re clearly lacking facts about his policies, i’d think you’d be looking forward to this one. don’t worry, i doubt that you’d ever not have something to whine about – but at least it would be something worth the effort for a change.
“BTW, I don’t need Obama’s help to live my life, I’m perfectly able to do that on my own. But if he really wants to help, he can give us a tax cut and to make Bush’s tax cuts permanent so we keep the deduction for our kids. He can also open up more areas for drilling.”
so you’re saying that you don’t need obama’s tax cuts, improved security at home, family leave, affordable health care, growth and modern equipping of our military, benefits for veterans, solvency of social security, more jobs, energy independence from foreign oil… well good for you, don’t take it then. buy your oil from the saudis, pay higher taxes under mcp.o.w., and go drill an oil well in your back yard. want to drill more? then drill what they have first, make sure they’re tapping them dry, continue getting the steady flow of oil leases as they have been, and ensure that the oil stays here. it’s such a Gas and Oil Party lie that there’s not increasing oil production here.
by the way, in government, nothing is permanent, so making “Bush’s tax cuts permanent so we keep the deduction for our kids” is a pointless statement.

There are real benefits to avoiding the convention coverage, not the least of which was four years ago with all the nonsense about Kerry in his silly little speedboat in a war those of us with any sense avoided.
Obama is a windbag, as are Clinton and Biden but there is the possibility that Biden, who has run for President unsuccessfully more times than Harold Stassen and Jesse Jackson combined, will find a new way to jam both feet in his mouth.
Next week will be intolerable and will no doubt reinforce the opinion that many of us had in the 70s that the only good Vietnam veteran was one that did not come back unless McCain goes for his humor. He had me roaring by the time that he was done on Leno the other night.
But tomorrow with the be height, as Obama proclaims himself a God in the tradition of Caligula, divorces Michelle and marries his horse, at which point Zeus will bellow, “Not in my temple you don’t!” and strike him with lightning.

There is a GOD!!!! And he answers PRAYER!!!
Remember how all the right-wingnuts were instructed to pray for a downpour to interrupt Obama’s speech tomorrow night? Well, God hears their prayers and has answered them.
1) A hurricane is on it’s way to hit New Orleans, just in time for the GOP convention. An inconvenient reminder of the GOP failures three years ago.
2) A sprinkler broke in a skybooth at the Denver stadium during the convention. The skybooth was flooded. It was the one used by FOX news.
3) Torrential rains hit Florida again today, areas that were already hit hard by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Fay.
4) Rains hit North Carolina, prompting evacuations and causing flooding.
5) Heavy rains have hit Oklahoma and Texas, causing flash flooding and blocking some roads.
But the weather report for Denver?
http://www.wunderground.com/US/CO/Denver.html
Sunny, highs in the 80s, lows in the 50s and 60s for the rest of the convention.
Either God doesn’t listen to these conservative evangelicals or they failed their geography classes.

Again, no substance here and nothing from a Reformed perspective. Just a repetition of RNC talking points. Congrats!
For anyone really interested in a reformed perspective, here are a few thoughts:
Our esteemed author reports:
“BTW, I don’t need Obama’s help to live my life, I’m perfectly able to do that on my own.”
The reformed tradition has always emphasized that life is lived in community and that, in the political sphere, we should aspire to issues of justice rather than a concern for our selfish needs. The author may not need the help of government to live her life, but the reality in the United States is that millions of people (with the exception of the wealthiest among us) are really feeling the economic crunch as a result of rising gas and food prices, the rising cost of education, predatory lending, and corporate irresponsibility. In the reformed tradition, starting with Calvin, government is in the position of living up to an ideal of justice, which includes providing the legal and political framework for an equitable distribution of wealth in which people who work hard should be able to make ends meet. At present, the government doesn’t do so. While wealthy folks are able to live very comfortably, the rest of us are having trouble making ends meet.
“He can also open up more areas for drilling.”
One of the things that is best about the reformed tradition is its recognition of the fact that we are stewards or temporary caretakers of God’s creation. Thus, we have a responsibility to use natural resources wisely and do our best to preserve the wonders of creation for future generation. As has been well documented (see this article from Time Magazine for some suggestive numbers: http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1829354,00.html), drilling provides a measure of relief that pales in comparison to more responsible options that aim at conserving resources rather than searching for more. To me, it seems clear from a reformed perspective that we should look for options that conserve our natural resources and preserve the wonders of creation rather than those that don’t. This was made very prescient to me on a recent trip to Southern California. Looking at the ocean is an experience that I’ve often though presents us with one of the most sublime illustrations of the presence and power of a God that is sovereign over all creation. But when we install oil drilling facilities (as I saw first-hand in Southern California) this sort of experience is reduced to a contemplation of some of the ugliest machinery that we’ve ever come up with.
“Well, at least we’ll have the Greek Temple to look at during the speech. Here’s a video if you’re interested in what it looks like.”
Parroting the RNC’s latest talking points yet again, our esteemed author takes a moment to poke fun at Obama’s stage. The reality, of course, is that this sort of architectural edifice is a common trope of political stagecraft. For an example just four years ago, we can find a similar sort of stage (perhaps even more over the top) during the 2004 convention: see the photo at http://blog.prospect.org/blog/weblog/gwbrnc8.jpeg )

“Looks like it’s going to be a dull speech, I hope it doesn’t go long. It’s bad enough that we have to sit through two windbags tonight”
Take your ritalin and stick it out. Who knows…you might learn something.

Seems that the link I included above regarding drilling compared with conservation measures doesn’t work. Here’s a corrected version:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1829354,00.html

This gal gets paid by the amount of hits she gets on this blog. If you really disagree with her that much, just don’t give her any hits.

Who actually agrees with her? She’s an idiot who calls evil good and good evil.

billgreen, Michelle is the very epitome of a Reformed Christian. You should remember that before you make a comment like that.

Honestly, nothing you say even resembles reformed theology. Please change your moniker to Baptist or whatever your true theology is, but quit deprecating grace.

Isn’t a mean spirit, a judgmental tone, rejoicing in evil, casting doubt on good, all what being a Reformed Christian is all about, Bob? I mean, you have known some, right?
There’s probably some reason all this quoting of “holy” writ and ancient councils connects to just plain unpleasant attitudes. Baptists, of course, are hardly immune.

Rob’s response pretty much exemplifies why this blog is so troubling to me. The posts here have little, if anything, to do with the Reformed tradition. Instead the only thing that this blog accomplishes is to reinforce the stereotype of which Rob’s comments are an indication. If you look through the posts here, this should be clear: the political positions taken are never discussed in a theological context, much less a Reformed context. Rather, they are merely stated with the hope that the claim contained in the blog’s subtitle sufficiently connects them to a Reformed perspective.
The core of the Reformed tradition is the sovereignty of God. On my reading, the only sovereign in these parts is the e-mails that the author receives from the McCain campaign.
I’m completely baffled why and how this blog got onto beliefnet.com. If anyone can explain that to me, I would be eternally in their debt. Whoever made the editorial decision to do so should be embarrassed.

Rob’s response pretty much exemplifies why this blog is so troubling to me. The posts here have little, if anything, to do with the Reformed tradition. Instead the only thing that this blog accomplishes is to reinforce the stereotype of which Rob’s comments are an indication. If you look through the posts here, this should be clear: the political positions taken are never discussed in a theological context, much less a Reformed context. Rather, they are merely stated with the hope that the claim contained in the blog’s subtitle sufficiently connects them to a Reformed perspective.
The core of the Reformed tradition is the sovereignty of God. On my reading, the only sovereign in these parts is the e-mails that the author receives from the McCain campaign.
I’m completely baffled why and how this blog got onto beliefnet.com. Though it is very possible to draw a conservative political perspective out of reformed theology (though any ideological allegiance is perhaps problematic in the end), this here is not it. If anyone can explain that to me, I would be eternally in their debt. Whoever made the editorial decision to do so should be embarrassed.

mark, thanks for the perspective. i found it very informative.

I’m completely baffled why and how this blog got onto beliefnet.com.
Mark, although I am not affiliated with Beliefnet, perhaps I’ll take a crack at your challenge. I have similarly wondered and occassionally asked Michele why she bothers to post here. I come from her side, both politically and theologically. It frustrates me to read the repetitive insults, the allegations of inauthentic Christianity, the complaints of a non-Reformed political perspective when she fails to connect directly her political and religious beliefs, and criticism for being a judgemental right-wing-fundamentalist when she does.
But the answer is, from my perspective, that Beliefnet believes in having some competing principled conservatives to give their more thoughful readers pause to consider their own positions. This does not mean they agree with her; they merely understand that principle of iron sharpening iron. If you do not wish to read opinions that disagree with your own, do not frequent her blog. If you wish to see the other side, than read it.
And, by the way; consistant coherant ideological statements are not necessarily talking points from party leaders. They may be closely held opinions, too. However, for true talking points…
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/Obama_camp_blasts_National_Review_writer_as_slimy_character_assassin.html?showall

irony, dale. oh, and hint of hypocrisy. it doesn’t help michele’s case (or yours in defending her) when she uses sources like hotair. and while said opinions are very consistent and s usually coherent, they are more often than not contrary to the truth and lacking of facts.

CHARACTER COMPARISONS …
Lofty speeches are great … but actons
speak louder than words !!!
In addition to 20+ more years of service and
experience in the U.S. senate than the other
candidate …
One candidate, John McCain watched his fellow
prisoner’s backs, at great cost to himself. After
3 years as a tortured P.O.W. in Vietnam, he was
offered early release by the enemy. But, since it
would have been dishonorable to get released
before his fellow prisoners, he refused, which
resulted in 2 1/2 additional years of torture and
captivity.
The other candidate, Barack Obama threw his
self proclaimed friend, spiritual advisor, and mentor
of 20 years, under the bus for political expediency and gain.
To vote for Obama, after learning these differences …
will say as much about your character, as it does about
the character of the two candidates.